No cake or premeditated assult talk today, just me and my crazy overthinking and overanalyzation of EVERYthing!

I wont lie, today’s blog is going to be long. I can compare it to my last semester of college when I had to read 10 grueling chapters of international politics the night before the final. Do you see where we are going with this post?

So, now that I’ve warned the world about my long post and have permitted myself to write as write as much as I want, I have no idea where to begin! The thoughts are there, but all jumbled. Its amazing that I went to college to learn how to talk to people, but there are times when I feel like I am speaking an entirely different language! (especially with guys, ie: Will)

I’m in a predicament that needs an unbiased outsiders opinion…

I believe networking can be absolutely crucial when trying to get a job, especially a first “real“ job. Like everyone else, I think its important to put your best foot forward and develop relationships with those you may work for some day. However, I always get a little hacked when I see people get things just because of who they are. I know that is how things are done sometimes, be it right or wrong, but I always frown on it.

My family has been totally encouraging during my sit around the house all day and watch reruns of everything that flopped in the States time. My dad always keeps an ear out for new job postings and has submitted my resume to a couple to people a while back. My dad and I are a lot alike in the sense that we want to do everything “by the books-“ no special treatment, so I told him not to really push people about my working there to the point they get irritated.

When we got over here, Human Resources told my dad that they don’t hire any married woman under the age of 23 because it is a Kuwaiti law. What a mess. So I am sitting here thinking I will be a barefoot, in a moo-moo, curlers in my hair, eating gobs of peanut butter on double stuff oreos until my next birthday (I was pretty dramatic when we found out). Well, to be sure, my dad called a lawyer that works at the embassy just so we would know, and so I could look elsewhere if it were true. Well, it turned out that it wasn’t a law at all and just sort of something that the company has adopted over the years. They have been through so many different people that it just became “law“ over time.

Well, my dad wrote a letter to a lady in HR just to let her know that I was in the country (which makes everything a lot easier) and available to work. I guess that made her mad and she wrote my dad back and said he was showing favortism and this and that. It wasn’t the case at all. There were no innuendos (or however you spell that) or anything that should have caused her to get mad. It just said that I was living here and if she needed to hire anyone, he had my resume. But anyway…

Having the information from the lawyer has opened a whole other can of worms because I really don’t want my dad to go to the head of HR and tell her that they are wrong and its not a law and blah blah blah (not that he would do that, its just a fear I guess). I just don’t want to be seen as the boss’ daughter who got a job because of him. Nothing has happened to give truth to my feelings, but I’m sure people on the other may feel otherwise. I have this fear that when I do get a job I will be walking into it with people upset at me. Am I making any sense at all!? I hope so. There are a lot of things that probably need to go in the middle, but I don’t want to get even more confusing.

Okay, all of that mess leads me to my current situation. My dad is one of the managers at the company where everyone (my family) works. Every month the managers plan a get together for the wives and their families. Well, my dad signed Will and I up to go along. They are taking a boat trip out to this small island for the day. The guys are going to fish, and the ladies are going to do whatever “grown-up“ ladies do. It sounds like it would be a good chance to get out and see stuff, but I just don’t know about going. Everyone that is going is really nice (or so I’ve hear) and have been asking about me, and all of the people that I am paranoid will dislike me won’t be there anyway. I think it would be a really good time fore me to meet the other managers and give them a person to put with the resume, but I’m just unsure.

One of the guys my dad works with has a daughter that is my age that works for another company in Kuwait. She is going too. It would be so nice to have a friend here, which is another reason I would like to go.

I guess that is my situation. Do I want to get on the boat or remain a land lover this weekend? I think- just from sitting here and getting all of my feelings out- that I am leaning towards going. People are going to think what they want no matter what. Plus my mom and Will both work at the same company and no one has said anything to them besides a few jokes to my mom about my dad having wasta (Kuwaiti word for power). I worry and overanalyze everything (as if you didn’t already know).

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Assuming you are not crying tears of boredom or nodding off, I am going to go on to my next subject! I put up some pics of my first few weeks in Kuwait! I was really excited about getting them. You’ll have to go check them out and see what I see everyday. There are NO camels in these pictures! In fact, I haven’t seen a camel since I’ve been here. I think they are all out in the desert. I’ve heard they have camel races somewhere in the city, which I think would be kind of cool to go see. I though I got more pictures of the interesting Kuwait scenery than I actually did, so next time I will have to try and get more of those.

Ahhh, on to the lighter side of my life. Before we moved I was addicted to the Food Network. It was my favorite channels (goofy, I know). I haven’t quite figured out why I enjoy watching people cook things that I never will, but there is something mesmerizing about the whole process (this is coming from the girl that has literally cooked a cookbook- I’m not lying) So, I have convinced myself I love cooking and have the potential to be a good cook. I decided that despite the fact that I am an unwilling “SAHW,” I should sieze the opportunity and become a better cook (Scary thought). I think (and my family would probably agree) that I have been promoted from “rookie” status to rookie in waiting.

Yesterday I made a really yummy dinner that I want to share! For all of you almost professional cooks this is just boxed mac and cheese or something, but I was still excited that Will liked it. He is always encouraging with my cooking but also honest. He will always tell me what he thinks about my cooking when I ask- which has probably gotten him in trouble with me from time to time. Will is a really picky eater and he loved dinner last night, so that was a plus. He even said he wanted me to make it again for his birthday- this is coming from the guy that is addicted to eating out.  These chicken and rice burritos are soooo easy (I made it for cryin’ out loud) and they sit in the crockpot all day which is another plus. Here it is:

*1 pound of skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

*1 can of green enchilada sauce

*1 large green pepper cubed

* about 3 tablespoons of water

* 2 cups of instant rice

* 1 small onion chopped (I’m not a big onion fan so I used the minced flakes)

*tortillas

*whatever else you like on burritos- we used sour cream, cheese, and tomatos

* Place the chopped onion and pepper at the bottom of crockpot. Add water. Place chicken on top and pour the enchilada sauce over everything. Cook on low 6-7 hours. 5 minutes before serving, add rice (it should absorb all of the liquid and cook up fast). Serve with tortillas and toppings!

What a Martha Stewart! bet you didn’t guess I’d throw in a recipe today. Thanks for working through my many thoughts today! Hope your Monday is a lot less complicated than this post!

Our first “real” weekend in Kuwait made a realize that we will truly live a very “normal” life while we were here. It felt a lot like the states… but sweltering.

Where to start? I am going to look forward to Wednesdays. The work week in Kuwait is 48 hours, so everyone works 4 10 hour days and one 8 hour days. Will got home at 3:30 on Wednesday, so it was like we had the whole afternoon to hang out and get an early start on the weekend. (it still seems like it should be call Friday everytime Wednesday hits… TGIW just doesn’t have the same ring). Everyone got home and we hung out a while and then my dad made reservations for us to eat at the Crown Plaza hotel for my graduation!

Since I have been kept inside all week, it felt so good to get out. This counrty is nocturnal to the extreme, so everything is so busy at night- we were out what they would say is “early” at 7:00. There are several restaurants in the hotel, but we chose to eat at this western steakhouse. It was really good. It was kind of humourous to see their take on “the old west.” I wonder if they still think there are outlaws and cowboys and horses there just like everyone thinks there are nothing but camels and people that don’t wear “normal” clothes over here.

Dinner was good, but we had to stop off at baskin robbins for desert- not the healthiest thing! Guys- I’m not joking. Evertime I get into a car here I am terrified. I have never experienced panic before, but I seem to each time I am in a car. They way the Kuwaitis drive is out of this world. First of all, very few streets are marked, so you have literally no idea where you are going. My dad has lived here for a year now and had to call a dentist’s office for directions on how to get there, and will tell you by things it is near because the buildings have no numbers. I wonder how they get their mail. Then people will get impatient and drive up on the median and curbs to pass those on the road and then cut in somehow! You can be in a turning lane and someone 3 lanes over will decide to turn and cut everyone off and almost hit you to turn too. Its craziness. I do not look forward to driving here. Today my dad wasn’t going fast enough (he was going the speed limit) so this car got right on out tail and started honking and flashing its lights and then it pulled right beside us and was halfway in out land and almost sideswiped us and was yelling and everything. I seriously almost hypervenhilated. It was terrifying because even though it wouldn’t have been our fault, the police almost always believe Kuwaitis over anyone else because of “wasta,“ which means power and is what this country seems to run by, It’s kind of an unspoken good ole boy system.

Anyway, since everyone comes out at night the traffic can get pretty bad. We sat in it for a while. We just counted all the porches and BMW 700s and landrovers we saw like it was a game.

Yesterday was nice. I felt like I was in America again. We got up around 8 and got ready. We went to this place that is similar to a best buy and my parents needed to buy a printer and a freezer because of the lack of space they have in the apartment. Then we went to the Sultan Center, which can be equivilated with Walmart to go shopping. We came back and unloaded everything and then we went to Marina Mall. It was soooo awesome. It is on Gulf Road, which is like the main road in the city where everything is located. We parked and then I was able to get an Aston Martin… or at least we got a picture by one. Will wanted me to take a picture of this gorgeous lamborgini but I didn’t want to look too suspicious. The mall was beautiful, like a really nice normal mall you would have in the states. Will was dying to see Star Wars on opening day, so we went ahead and did that. Their theatres are really nice with fancy seats. The movie was great- except they cut out the kissing scenes which I thought was weird. My mom slept through the whole thing. Pretty expensive nap.

After the movie we went to ChiChis, this mexican restaurant. It was like 6:30. Anytime Will and I would be home and go to dinner at that time we would have to wait for 30 minutes. Like I have said a thousand times, people don’t get out until late and don’t eat until after 8:30 or so. We were the only people in the entire restaurant! It was the first time I have ever had a restaurant to myself at 6:30 on the weekend.

After that, Will and I had a decision to make. I will try and quickly explain this as best as I can… Because I am not employed with my family’s company yet, I am unable to live with Will in our own apartment unless he pays $1,000 a month (which we can’t do). So, that has made things kind of hairy. We decided to move the few things we had in our apartment out until I got a job. Will is hoping that in the next few days we will be able to get him a room in my parent’s complex, so at least he will be closer and we will be able to see eachother. So we moved out of our cute little place and into my family’s for a while… this situation deserves a post of its own- 5 people in an apartment.

On our way out the “movie guys“ were there. They sell copies of new movies for like $3. We got Sahara, which is still in theatres, Ray, hotel Rwanda, and something else, I don’t remember.

I know this blog is getting long, and I am even leaving out things, but I am just glad about this weekend. Being by myself last week really made me wonder if being here was going to be okay, and this weekend was kind of a little reassurance that everything is going to be okay. Life is not that different from home- minus my friends and a few other things like Walmarts, wearing sleeveless shirts, and tap water.

Today was nice. My family usually goes to a Bible study led by some friends, but he and his wife were out of town this weekend, so we didn’t have it. We just kind of took it easy. We rested, went the nicer Sultan Center more downtown and got some things we had forgotten, and just drove around. We drove past some ferarri dealerships, and looked at some more car places. Will was drooling. Sorry Will, in your dreams. It still blows my mind how rich this country is. It’s crazy.

We also stopped by the beach real quick on our way to the dealerships. It was beautiful. We stopped along Gulf Road and took pictures. We only stayed a few minutes because I had no sunscreen, but it was really pretty.

Tonight we watched Hotel Rwanda. The main guy used to be on Saturday Night Live. He did a great job. It was funny to think of the sketches he was in, and then see him so serious now.

Thanks for reading this looong blog. I wish I could write more, about Geezys and our new living situation… but I will save those for another day! Hope you all have as good a weekend as I was able to! Off to bed now! Good Afternoon America! Goodnight Kuwait!

Well my second full day here has been very uneventful. It was strange because I am used to having my weekend today, but today is their first working day. I think that will be something I will have to get used to because I kept thinking today was Monday! My parents and Will had to get up at 4 in the morning to go to work. That is soooo early. Since we are still living with my parents until we are able to go shopping and stuff, they had to drop him off at our apartment so Will’s boss could pick him up and take him to work (he thinks we are living there already). So I got up that early too, despite the poor nights sleep I had.

The day was very uneventful, but I am realizing that I really need to enjoy these lazy and “boring” days since before I know it I will have a real job with real hours and no summer vacations. :( My sister stayed home with me today so we just hung around the house since we can’t really go anywhere. We watched their HORRIBLE TV channels and talked and took a nap and made dinner. Talk about a very stressful and eventful day. I don’t know how I was able to handle all of the demands.

Will came home a little after 6 with my parents. He said he thinks he will like his new job. I hope so. I was really nervous about today for him. When he got home it was like the Spanish Inquisition because I had a million questions to ask him about his day and every single detail. I think its because I am here at home with nothing to do. Plus, when I finally do have to go live at our apartment in the next few days there is nothing at all to do. We have no computer and no cable. We have about 200 arabic channels, but their TV is really bad and mind numbingly boring.

I found out today that if I get hired for a job in the next couple of weeks it will still be a few more weeks on top of that because it takes a while to get a visa and all this other stuff, so that means I probably have at least another 3 weeks of boredom, especially when my sister goes back to school the day after tomorrow. I just have to keep telling myself to stay positive because as I said earlier I will miss these “puppy dog days,” as Will calls them.

Will is a Senior Recreation Specialist. Right now he works at Camp Doha, the main camp. However, it is preparing to close down and the military is going to give the land back to the Kuwaitis so most of the employees are going to Camp Araf Jahn, but I think Will is going to be working at Bureen- one of the SCORTCHING desert camps. He has about 15 TCNs that work for him and he is the youngest, so today his workers said they were going to call him Baby Boy. How funny. I think they will like Will and respect him because he is fair, and some others treat the TCNs really bad.

Today he had to do this gas mask drill that all new employees have to do for safety precautions. They put a gas mask on you and you have to wear it for 6 minutes and do all of these “exercises“ like turning your head from side to side and stuff to make sure it fits properly. I think I will freak out when I have to do that. Pretty crazy.

Anyway, so much has been going on these last few days, but at the same time, it’s been kind of slow. I have multitudes more to say, but I don’t want to dump all of this information and random thoughts in a single blog. Besides, what will I do when my sister goes to school and I am still at my parents’??

There are times when I wish I could express my feelings to others like men are able to. They can yell things like , “You are so stupid! open your eyes! Can’t you see you are ruining you life!“ And then 5 minutes later they are fine. They duke it out and then they are over it.

That is something I admire about Will. He says what he wants, even if it is something someone doesn’t want to hear.(he doen’t say the “hey you are stupid stuff,” I was just using that as an extreme example). He isn’t out to hurt people’s feelings, but he is able to be very truthful with people, and that is a reason why a lot of people respect him. He has no problem saying what he wants to say. I, on the other hand, don’t talk “like a guy.” I am “too nice” in situations a lot of the time. The past 2 days I have needed “guy talk” in my life.

My MOH and I have had our ups and down over this past year, but things have really become different. She has really changed. Our “boss” Sheri has even been noticing her change in work ethics and the fact that she has totally started to avoid her (they used to be running partners). Well the latest with her has got my head spinning and I get to be the confidant of everything going on in her life.

She is making such poor decisions and is asking me to support her for making them, because no one else is. A strength (which obviously can also be a weakness) of mine is that I am good at encouraging others. I think she is using my positive encouragement as a free ticket to make stupid decisions. I have listened to everthing with an open mind- but this is just not the girl I became friends with. She is longing to be accepted by this certain group and her new boyfriend (that’s a long story) that she is willing to compromise what she has stood for for so long- and expected others around her to stand for too. I don’t want to go into details, but its a bad situation.

I talked to Will about it last night, and of course, he told me to tell her all of the things I already wanted to say in my head, but just couldn’t muster out. I was proud of myself today because I told her that she is old enough to make her own decisions but she needs to realize that they may be wrong and has to be able to accept them (I sound like a parent! AHHH).

I know people change over time, but I feel like she is changing not for herself, but for those around her. That is where I wish I could just tell her to look at the situation from a different perspective. She has put life on hold to be a surgrugate (or however you spell it) mother as a 22 year old to someone she doesn’t even know, not to mention the other bad choices. I was a little more “firm” and forthcoming about my feelings today, but it sounds like her mind is made up. She can do what she wants, but it makes me sad because of how great she is. I just need to let it all out “like a guy” and hope she responds in a “guy” manner- taking it in, getting mad, and then being fine. More to come

The post title is my life in a nut shell. Now with everything out in the open, I have so much I want to tuck away here in my blog, but have to really prioritize how much time I spend on here! I don’t know about you- but I’m addicted. I have a few blogs I try and read everyday- Josie’s (J&M), Crystal’s, and Jandlea- and I am starting to have others I like to read… this is getting to be quite an addiction! I never thought I was a “nosey” woman, interested in the affairs of others- but maybe I am! Or, maybe it’s just that everyone is in a similar area of their life as I. Who knows…

Having rambled all of that nonsense… because that is not the main topic of my blog, I will try to adhere to just writing what I need ot write and getting off!

Well today I turned the “big” 22. I am at the point when I still get really excited about birthdays. I hope that doesn’t go away, but I hear for women it does! I think it has to do with our society and how we are supposed to look 20 forever, while for men, it is attractive for them to age because we associate their age with status and wisdom. I think women get the shaft on that deal… am I making sense? Who knows. Once again, stating the unnecessary.  22 is so young, but I am already feeling “old.” I am surrounded by fresh high school grads that are in their first year of college, and it is so funny just how those 4 years makes such a difference. I will just try to enjoy these next few years and tackle the big 2-5 or 3-0 no fun birthday time when and if it ever comes. I look too far ahead too much instead of just enjoying what is right in front of me.

Tonight we are going out with my mom and sister. After dinner we get to do what every girl looks forward to doing on their birthday… pack! My mom is going to come over after dinner and cake and stuff and help us get some stuff pack to send over there so it is there when we arrive. What a birthday surprise!

Last night was sad. The kids had planned a special birthday surprise for me… and we had to “pop all the balloons” by announcing our resignation. I know you will be surprised, but the party just wasn’t the same after that- imagine that. I got close to “my” girls these last 2 years. so they were all crying, it was bad. I didn’t know what to say- it’s hard to tell a 14 year old, “Oh- we will keep in touch! You can always email and write- I’m still here for you,” when they need you in front of their face to talk about their breakups and family problems. It was sad. I felt more sad for them just because of the lifes most of our kids come from. For most of them, they have no stability. They have parents in jail or on drugs or have never met their dad- they needed some stability, and I think Will and I were like a big brother or sister they could rely on for godly wisdom. I was sad because I wonder what will happen to them when we go. 80% of our church is in their 50s or older, so there has never been a big emphasis on youth, so I am worried about what happens now…

Well- I told Sheri today too. She is my “boss” (I work in the transcripts office at my university). It was so hard because all of us girls that work there have gotten so close to her- she’s like the “cool mom” in our office. The lady we can always talk to. I teared up and just let it all go. She was shocked and worried about us (her mom side). We didn’t get to talk very long because I had to go to class, so tomorrow morning we’ll get to talk more. I feel bad because I had told her I would work through the month of May because Kaci was going to quit when school got out, and Sheri was going to need me and Carly. I can’t worry about those things though- if I worried about things like that I would be afraid to do anything in fear of hurting someones feelings. I just have to do what is best for our family, and right now that is moving.

Anyway- you will all get a much needed break from all of my ramblings this weekend so you can prepare for next week’s dose of our excitement!

Will is taking me to the Waterford hotel in the City (oklahoma city). We are going to eat at bellinis, a really nice restaurant and them go to the OU scrimmage saturday. I am really looking forward to spending this weekend with will, it may be the last few days of serenity we will have for quite some time.